


A Prince's Wedding

by slowdissolve



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Intrigue, Light Dom/sub, Polyamory, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-11 15:38:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11717364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowdissolve/pseuds/slowdissolve
Summary: Avatar Kyoshi is on a state visit to the Fire Nation as they celebrate the marriage of their prince. Kyoshi hates parties, but there is much more going on during this trip than a wedding.





	1. The Villa of an Old Friend

Though she stood very tall, Avatar Kyoshi did her best to take up as little space as she possibly could when she traveled. For an Avatar, she'd always been a private person.

She'd never really fit in with her peers as a child, so when Kyoshi traveled the world to master bending the four elements, she'd been eager to make friends. Yet she was overwhelmed, presented with more introductions to more people than she would ever be able to remember. By the time she'd seen the world, she'd come to appreciate the quiet solitude of her village, and when her training was complete, she went home, and stayed there.

Being able to bend every element with awesome force certainly made up for some of the unease she felt meeting new people, and the facepaint helped maintain her distance. During her passage, she was not wearing it, and was as anonymous as any other traveler on the ship.

On her journeys, she did make a few close friends. She maintained those friendships with letters, or visits when her duties as Avatar required her presence near them.

This trip was, of course, required. The Fire Lord's son was marrying, and the Avatar was expected to travel to the Fire Nation capital in a diplomatic capacity, to forestall friction between the leaders of the four nations. As a wedding, it was a happy occasion, but between the families of ruling classes these occasions were never without political undertones.

Her old master, Motomu, was a close friend, and she looked forward to time with him. He would be able to fill her in on the details of intrigue she might have to quell.

The fleet was nearly there, comprised of ships from across the globe. Kyoshi sailed in with a delegation from Kangaroo Island. They were jolly sailors, always bantering, working hard to make Kyoshi smile, and she was glad to be anonymous so that she could enjoy it; under the face paint her reputation preceded her, and she was likely to be feared.

Once ashore, she went to Motomu's villa, and greeted her old master warmly. He was delighted to see her. Motomu's wife Fuyiko served them tea in his garden, a serene and beautiful refuge. The garden was covered in the petals from cherry trees, then in bloom. Green leaves peeked through a great blanket of pink. Some floated on the surface of a pond, rippled gently by the occasional koi swimming up and breaking the surface.

"Ahh, Master, it's such a joy to be back in this garden," Kyoshi sighed. "I wish I could just stay here instead of going to this wedding."

"It won't be long. A few nights of pomp and bluster, a ceremony, and then there's a party."

"I hate parties."

"You can endure. You've defeated more powerful enemies than drunk aristocrats.”

Kyoshi rolled her eyes.

"At least you'll be there," she said.

"I will," he agreed, "but Fuyiko and I, too, will have to be playing this game you dislike so much.”

“You don’t need to, Master. If I had a choice I certainly wouldn't.”

“It would be an insult the Fire Lord if we didn’t go. We have no choice either.”

She sighed. “Tell me, what are the things I should know?”

“There are petty squabbles among some of the various Earth Kingdoms, over borders. These are persistent and perennial. You need not worry about them at this event. Fortunately, most of the time the Earthbending Kings and Queens are blunt, and they don’t bother with intrigue.

"The Northern and Southern Water Tribes have tense relations, but those change like the seasons. Sometimes passions flare, and it would be wise to pay attention lest a family fight break out between them, but I don’t think it’s something to be very concerned about.

"The Airbenders… oh, if all nations could conduct themselves like Airbenders! They seem content and happy to be what they are, and they keep to themselves, but try to help where they can. I do not know who will be their representative at this wedding, but I understand their spiritual leader is of very advanced age and in ill health. I do hope the next state visit is not a memorial.”

“And the Fire Nation? Is there anything else I should know?”

“Fire Lord Hiro is a good and honorable leader. He’s making some very good decisions, and the people are thriving. But…”

“But?”

“There are always rumors. The nobility dislike some of his more populist rulings. And his wife. There is nothing I can point to, but I get a strange feeling about her. Rumors are just that… rumors. And they should not be taken for any more than that. Yet some of the things I have heard have made me concerned, if there is even a grain of truth to them.”

“What kind of strange feeling?”

“I sense a very ambitious woman. Perhaps it’s simply that she is, in fact, the wife of the Fire Lord, and enjoys that prestige.”

“But what have you heard?”

“She... how shall I put this? She is very discreet, but the rumors hold that she engages the most with those nobles who dislike her husband the most. It’s possible that she is simply trying to win their hearts over on her husband’s behalf. Yet all those engagements are behind closed doors, so no one knows what happens, and as yet she appears unsuccessful.”

“Master Motomu. This insinuation is beneath you, isn’t it?”

“I insinuate nothing. It’s my belief that she does support her husband in the best way she knows how. Proof of anything else is absent. Therefore, as an honorable person, I must remember to accord her the respect due her position.”

“Very politic, Master,” Kyoshi replied, with a coy smile.

He laughed. “I have always enjoyed your company, my dear Kyoshi. It’s a pity you don’t visit me more often.”

“I know, I know,” Kyoshi said. “But I love my little village.”

“Where you can meditate in seclusion and complete safety.”

“Master, you know that I can face any danger. I’m afraid of no man or army.”

“No. You fear intimacy.”

Kyoshi’s eyes went to her feet. Motomu knew her well. She had confided in him about some of the failed relationships of her youth. Over time she seemed to have given up hope; the balance yet to be achieved in herself was between her loneliness and her need for solitude.

“I don’t know if fear is the right word.”

“Perhaps not, my young friend. Don’t be troubled. As my own master told me, there is a lid for every pot; perhaps eventually you will find your own counterpart, the one who finally helps you balance that aspect of yourself. It need not be a spouse. Perhaps you simply need a friend closer than even I could be to you. One to whom you can show your whole heart.”

“Even then, I’m still going to hate parties.”

“That is your nature,” he laughed. “Who are we to fight our own natures?”


	2. Welcome

On the first night of the wedding festival, the nobility gathered for a feast in the palace of the Fire Lord. The Avatar was given a suite there in which to stay, but she’d prepared her makeup and uniform at Motomu’s villa, so that no one in the royal residence should have seen her without it. He’d known her long before she assumed that costume, and kept her secret.

Kyoshi also had a seat at the table on the dais, next to a high-ranking counselor to the Fire Lord, two seats over from his wife, Lady Suzue. From here she could easily see the show provided for the evening. Jugglers and firebenders wove fascinating shapes from flames in all colors, and dancers swirled bright lights about their bodies, seemingly unmindful of the danger. Long, bright-hued dragon costumes worn by lines of dancers paraded throughout the hall, stomping in time to music, scattering bits of colored paper in their wake. It was a wonderful show of the traditions and customs of the Fire Nation, and a fine entertainment for the evening.

The food kept coming, in waves. First, second, and third courses, soups, fish, meats, and vegetables, prepared in expensive and flamboyant displays. Desserts followed, and every cup was filled with wine from the mountainside vineyards of the volcanic islands. If there were an invading army on this evening, Kyoshi was not sure she would be able to lift her own stomach up to fight them. She was overfed and sleepy.

When all the dishes were cleared away, the floor was also cleared, and musicians struck up the dances. Kyoshi did everything she could to avoid being seen. She took a cup of wine and stood by a pillar in shadow, knowing she could not yet leave but wishing she were anywhere else. She observed the many people at the ball, but knew only a handful. Most were Fire Nation nobility, but the colors of all the nations were represented. The Airbenders mingled contentedly in the crowd, and Kyoshi noticed one tall, thin, graceful woman, not an elder, but not young either. She was like a flower on a slender stalk, lean and beautiful, with a face as serene as Motomu’s garden. Perhaps she would try to meet her tomorrow, and ask how she was so peaceful in such a busy place. Tonight, though, she’d had her fill of new faces.

Five, six, seven dance numbers were performed, and the Fire Lord and his wife joined the prince, his fiancée, and her parents for a dance, while the guests watched. After this, she might safely slip away.

When the music ended, and the crowd applauded, Kyoshi turned to go, but felt a hand on her elbow.

“So soon, Avatar?” asked the Fire Lord’s wife.

“Lady Suzue, my apologies. It has been a long journey to come here, and I am overwhelmed by the great welcome of the Fire Nation. To be a good guest at tomorrow’s events, I pray a little time to rest to be in peak form tomorrow.” Inside, she was rolling her eyes at herself. In the Earth Kingdom, such flowery language wasn’t customary, and she wasn’t sure she wasn’t botching it.

“Avatar Kyoshi, I should apologize to you. I had no idea. Please, please, take your ease. We are deeply honored by your attendance while we celebrate.”

“It is my honor,” Kyoshi replied. She hoped that would be enough.

“If you require anything at all, do not hesitate to ask any of the servants. It is our duty to have you be comfortable and at ease. I look forward to a few moments with you tomorrow. I am _so_ curious to learn about you and what it must be like to be the Avatar.” Lady Suzue’s eyes had a keen look, as though she were looking for a reaction. “I’m so pleased you could join us.”

“Thank you, Lady. Good night.” Avatar Kyoshi bowed formally, right fist to left palm. Lady Suzue bowed back, her left palm raised above the fist, in the form of a flame.

She was relieved at being excused, and went back to her suite, considering the exchange between them. She wondered what it was that Motomu said felt strange about her. Her first impression of Fire Lady Suzue was she had quite a lovely face and an elegant, regal manner. Kyoshi would answer her questions tomorrow… maybe that way she would have a better idea what to look for.


	3. More Questions Than Answers

In the morning, wedding guests who wished to go hunting or falconing left the palace in the early hours. Kyoshi slept long, trying to digest the huge meal from the first night’s feast. When she rose, she found the remaining guests at a late breakfast out on a shady lawn, splashed with bright sunlight here and there.

She took a table under a tree, glad to be out of the spring sunshine in her heavy wool uniform. Though she was used to it, the day was quite warm already, and the air was still and humid.

Many of the women and the handful of men at this breakfast chatted and laughed amiably with each other, sharing gossip, Kyoshi supposed, especially when the laughter was preceded by low voices and low poses. Waterbenders out on the lawn moved through their forms, practicing the flow of their energy and moving water from a stream along the edge of the garden. She admired their forms and the way a soft element like water could still be used with force. It was hard to use earth in a soft way, and she smiled inwardly at the idea.

She noticed the airbenders meditating across the lawn. Airbenders didn't hunt, she remembered. And there was the tall woman who’d caught her attention at the feast. It would be rude to interrupt their meditation, but perhaps they wouldn’t mind if she joined them. Earthbenders weren’t great at meditating, but her time training at their Temples had helped her significantly in mastering that element, which was the opposite of her native earth. She’d had visions and help from her past lives when it was necessary, after learning to meditate.

She finished a delicious jasmine tea, a specialty of the Fire Nation, and was about to rise to approach them, when Lady Suzue appeared at her table.

“Avatar Kyoshi! I hope you slept well?”

“I did, Lady, thank you.”

Suzue sat down next to her. She leaned back in the chair and looked across the lawn.

“I’m surprised you didn’t join the hunt this morning. I would have thought that you’d enjoy that kind of activity.”

“I’m sorry…no.” Kyoshi was puzzled. “Why would you…” She stopped, a bit embarrassed. “No, I was still quite tired from my journey, and the feast provided last night was delicious. I’m afraid I overate.” She attempted a smile.

“Why would I think that?” Suzue laughed, a pleasant, tinkling laugh. “I simply thought it suited your disposition better. You seem to have more in common with the men than the ladies here,” she said, making a gesture across the lawn.

Kyoshi didn’t know what to say. It was probably true, but what she’d said about being tired and overeating was also true.

“I was really quite exhausted, and I might have missed talking to you.” she said, hoping it would sound polite.

Suzue’s eyes lit up, and she gave her a direct look, one eyebrow just slightly raised.

“I mean no offense, Avatar,” Suzue said. “My husband has always been committed to equality between the sexes. Whatever… _pastimes_ …you pursue are perfectly acceptable. Perhaps tomorrow you will join them.” She smiled sweetly.

Kyoshi noted her emphasis.

“Indeed,” she continued, brightly, looking over the lawn, “the Fire Lord has made strides toward equality. Women can now join the Navy, if they wish. They can hold property of their own, and need not be dependent on a man for a living.”

“I should like to meet him,” Kyoshi said, truthfully. “He sounds like he cares for the well-being of all his people.”

“He does, most certainly,” Suzue replied. “Of course, there are those who oppose such things, but he _is_ the Fire Lord, and his word is law. Some of the nobility fear a population with too much freedom.”

Kyoshi made a mental note.

Out on the grass, some ladies began to play a game, twirling a small hoop at the end of a stick and throwing it at each other, and catching it again at the end of the stick. Kyoshi looked out at them with interest.

“They are playing a traditional game,” Suzue said, following her gaze. “In order for guests from other nations to play, the hoops are not on fire today.” She smiled again, and again gave Kyoshi the searching look, hoping to catch her reaction. “Perhaps you would like to see it later today in its original form? Maybe this evening? It would be quite a show.”

“It certainly would. But you need not, simply for my benefit.”

“I would be delighted, if it would entertain you.”

“I could not ask,” Kyoshi said, “but I am honored.”

“To honor you would be an honor for me,” Suzue countered, quickly.

Kyoshi pretended to sip tea from her empty cup.

“You had some questions for me?” Kyoshi asked, and was grateful her makeup covered the blush. She wished she were more graceful in conversation.

Suzue laughed her tinkling laugh again. “Earthbenders do get right to business, don’t they? First… I’ve heard that you rarely leave your village. Is that true?”

“I love my village and my people. Yes, it’s true for the most part.”

“You don’t enjoy traveling?”

“I do, sometimes. It’s wearing, though. But I’ve sailed around the world, and seen many beautiful places.”

“And people?”

“Some,” Kyoshi replied, cautiously. She decided to take a step. “To be honest, Lady, it’s a challenge to me to meet new people.”

“You? The Avatar?” Lady Suzue put a hand across her chest, seemingly surprised.

“Many people assume things about the Avatar. I’m just a common person who happened to be born in the right place at the right time.”

“That is far too humble for someone with your authority! To have power is a privilege. You have a right to exercise it.”

“The power of the Avatar is not for personal gain, Lady, but to achieve and maintain balance in the world,” Kyoshi said. “To be fair, I have been given many opportunities to meet wonderful people…like yourself. But as I’m just a person, after all, sometimes I feel like I need time for myself.”

Suzue tilted her head, considering.

“Don’t you feel lonely?”

“Lady Suzue…” Kyoshi began, startled. That was a very personal question after meeting her such a short time ago.

“Avatar Kyoshi, I apologize. That was too forward of me.”

Kyoshi struggled with herself. Suzue seemed kind and concerned.

“I’m sorry. You caught me a bit off guard. But, I suppose, yes, sometimes.”

“You’re friends with Master Motomu, aren’t you?”

“He trained me in firebending many years ago, yes.” Kyoshi wondered how Suzue knew that. Maybe he’d told her. “We’ve kept in touch.”

“I hope that you and I can be friends too,” Suzue said. Kyoshi could not quite read the tone of her voice, but her face was open and friendly.

“Of course, Lady.”

“You’re so formal. Just call me Suzue.”

“I’ll try to… Suzue.”

“Would you tell me about any of the places you liked to visit? To tell the truth, I’ve never been outside the Fire Nation, and sometimes I wonder what the rest of the world looks like.”

“It’s quite beautiful, and so, so vast. There are amazing fjords… tall valleys on the coasts… in the Northern Water Tribe lands. There is an enormous desert in the south of the Earth Kingdom, and there are stories of a great library owned by a knowledge spirit there. There are swamps and huge mountains and endless green forests and wide sweeping plains. And there are islands in the warm parts of the seas…” Kyoshi sighed, remembering. “It’s so wonderful.”

“And yet you keep to your village?”

“There’s no place like home, La… Suzue.” Kyoshi tried to smile again.

“Ah, perhaps,” she laughed, “if you’ve had the chance to be gone from it a while to compare it against.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Kyoshi admitted. “But you’re the wife of the Fire Lord. Surely you could go if you wanted, and make a tour. Visit Ba Sing Se and meet the Earth King. The city is a wonder all its own.”

“Oh, if only!” Suzue laughed. “But my husband needs me here. He’d be hopeless against the court intrigues without me.”

Kyoshi listened intently. Motomu had warned her, and maybe she could provide him with some new information.

“Is it that bad?”

“A ruler should be wary of upending ancient traditions. Those who hold power are usually unwilling to give it up.”

Kyoshi nodded solemnly. She tried to square this statement to her earlier one, about having the right to exercise her own power as Avatar. On its face, her statement was true… those who hold power did rarely use it for the betterment of others before themselves. It was hard to know what Suzue’s own attitude about power was.

“But so tell me… the islands… you sound like you had an… experience there?”

“I did.” Now Kyoshi’s guard was up. What did Suzue know?

“You sighed, like you were remembering something pleasant.”

She had, but now she was alert. “I made a friend there. I miss her.” Now it was Kyoshi’s turn to watch for a reaction.

Suzue’s eyes narrowed, barely perceptibly, but for only for a moment. She brightened again and said sympathetically, “I’m so sorry. Did you have a falling out?”

“No,” Kyoshi said. “She married, and I began my duties as Avatar. It was a long while ago now.”

The Lady Suzue turned, and waved at a servant. “More tea,” she said, and in moments more jasmine tea arrived, steaming hot.

Suzue sighed, looking out again over the lawn. The game was in full swing, and had attracted new players from among the guests. They were laughing in the sunshine.

“Would you like to join them in the game?”

“No, my thanks, Lady Suzue.” She was being too formal.

“Oh, just Suzue, remember? We’re friends now!”

Kyoshi sipped the fresh cup. It was delicious. And then she noticed, with a twinge of disappointment, that the Airbenders were rising from their meditation, and some were joining the game. The tall one was already on her way back into the palace, and she tried hard not to follow her with her eyes.

“I wonder how the Airbenders will do at this game,” she said, trying to keep the conversation impersonal. “They may have an unfair advantage.”

“I doubt they would use it,” Suzue said. “Airbenders never cheat."

Again, this statement was spoken too neutrally to determine whether Suzue approved or not.

“Still, I lived with the Airbenders for a time. They love to play jokes on each other.”

“Do they? They seem charming.”

“They are. As with every nation, there are good people and there are some… less so. But on the whole they were always compassionate and welcoming to me, and they loved to have fun. They helped me a great deal, to learn to meditate and master airbending, which was difficult for me. Their humor made the work seem easier.”

“I daresay meditation is not something I see much among earthbenders. I’ve met many more of those.”

“It’s not. We’re very practical, usually.”

“Indeed.” She paused. “That tall airbender, the woman… she’s quite beautiful, isn’t she? Do you know her? She’s Monk Tashi, the chief student of their spiritual leader.”

"She is, yes." Kyoshi hoped Suzue hadn’t seen her looking at Monk Tashi. "But no, I haven’t met her.” Tashi. That name had an echo.

Finally, they were silent for a few moments.

“This evening, at tea time, we will be having a haiku competition. Would you be interested in joining? We could arrange to have a game of Ring of Fire played afterward, before dinner.”

“Oh, that does sound good. They do haiku in Ba Sing Se, and the competitions are both lovely and fierce.”

“Not unlike the Avatar,” Suzue said, coyly.

Not for the first time Kyoshi was grateful her makeup hid a blush. She had an inkling what was on Suzue’s mind, now, but was quite unsure what to do about it.

Suzue stood, touching Kyoshi’s shoulder. “I ought to go visit with other guests, now, but I hope we can… talk more.”

Kyoshi also stood. She bowed slightly, and Suzue laughed. “Friends, remember?” She took Kyoshi’s hands in her own. “We’ll talk more later.”


	4. The Mountaintop

The period between the late breakfast and tea time was left open for the guests to view the grounds about the palace. There were gardens and statues, waterfalls and ponds. Carriage rides were available to the village down the hillside and its wide avenues, to see the quaint views of happy peasants at their work; and they too had their festival for the prince’s marriage, with jugglers, acrobats, puppet shows and musicians playing folk tunes. There were carnival games, a dunk tank with a poor fool on a seat waiting to be dropped if someone could hit the target arm that held him over the water. The smell of fried food was in the air. Children were excused from school, and chased each other everywhere.

Kyoshi took in some of those sights, and people stopped and stared in awe at the very tall figure walking through their streets. She wore her uniform with its shining brass headband, her full makeup on. There was a hush wherever she went.

She was used to this by now. In a way it was nice, being able to pass through heavy crowds with ease. She wasn’t bothered by people pressing at her from every side. Children did tend to trail behind her, and sometimes they were brave enough to approach and ask if she were a spirit, which made her laugh. She was kind to them: they were children, after all. Sometimes she would bend all the elements at once to give these children a story they could take home to their parents.

Almost always this wasn’t a problem, but as she wandered the streets she mulled over Motomu’s words from yesterday. She wasn’t afraid of intimacy. Not afraid. Not exactly. And her conversation with Suzue was unsettling. Suzue was putting a lot of effort into being her friend, and she had a feeling there was more that Suzue wanted than just friendship.

More, in this instance, would be a very bad idea. She was married. To the Fire Lord.

But it had been a long time since Kyoshi had had a physical relationship. Years. And Suzue was attractive and interested in her. She felt a yearning for that kind of closeness.

It would be nothing but fraught with risk. It was a superlatively bad idea. Best to go on, balancing her life as she had always done.

She took the carriage back up to the palace, and as she was walking back to her suite, up the grand staircase, Monk Tashi was descending from the floor above. Kyoshi’s eyes lit up and caught hers. Tashi blushed as she smiled, and Kyoshi stopped to meet her on the landing.

“Avatar Kyoshi, it’s a great pleasure to meet you again,” she said.

“Again?”

“I’m sure you don’t remember, but I sparred against you at the Northern Air Temple when you began your training. You had just begun, and I was nearly finished with my training there, so we only met a handful of times, but I remember it well.”

“Spirits!” Kyoshi exclaimed. The memory rushed back. A beautiful girl, tall and awkward as herself, knocked her backwards with a blast of air dozens of times. “That was _you_?”

Tashi’s smile was otherworldly, and she blushed again and dropped her eyes. Kyoshi’s heart banged loudly, so that she was sure others could hear. All thoughts of Suzue were swept away.

“Where were you headed?” Kyoshi asked. “May I join you?

Tashi smiled once again and nodded. “I was going to see a little of the countryside beyond the village. There are a couple of hours before tea, and I hoped perhaps to get to the top of the mountain.”

“That sounds excellent. I hope you don’t mind… mountaintops are sometimes best viewed in solitude.”

Tashi cocked her head. “How curious! I’ve always thought the same thing. Maybe we can view it in solitude together.”

Now it was Kyoshi’s turn to blush. She turned, and escorted Tashi down the stairs.

There was a winding road that led up the mountain from a back gate in the wall encircling the palace. They walked along this path as it twisted through the woods, the ground dappled with afternoon sun. As the road emerged from the treeline, it continued to zig and zag across the face of the mountain. It was making a short distance into a very long walk.

As they walked, they reminisced about the few short weeks they’d known each other at the Northern Air Temple. Kyoshi told her about how difficult it was for her to master air bending, but that meditation had helped, and how the practical jokes and laughter of the trainers and students made it into a game that she learned how to play.

Tashi, for her part, recalled how very quickly Kyoshi had picked it up, in spite of the difficulty. Though she’d never had a chance to knock Tashi back down, by the time she was scheduled to move on to the Eastern Temple, Kyoshi had learned how to evade those blasts of air as naturally as any airbender.

Noting the position of the sun, and realizing that tea was coming along much faster than the pace of their walk would allow, Tashi challenged her to a race to the top of the mountain. She leapt up, and with a sudden whirlwind of air about her, elevated herself up to the roadway above, skipping the long switchback. Kyoshi stood, her mouth agape at the swirling gracefulness of the saffron robes. Then, with a grin, she blasted herself upward, but Tashi was off again before Kyoshi could land, so she touched down for only a moment before leaping skyward a second time, almost passing her.

They sprang from one level of the zagging road to another, avoiding stray trees and huge boulders, and reached the top nearly the same time.

“Who won?” Kyoshi asked, breathless.

“You did,” Tashi laughed.

“I did? What’s my prize?”

Suddenly Tashi kissed her cheek, and announced “There! The mark of the winner!”

Kyoshi put her hand to her face, disbelieving. It was a wonder the paint on her face didn’t simply melt away from the heat of her blush. She pulled Tashi into an embrace and they laughed until they both could barely breathe.

They settled down on the top of the mountain, back to back, looking across the seas surrounding the large island.

“I was afraid to talk to you last night,” Tashi admitted.

“Why?”

“You’re the all-powerful Avatar, sitting at the head table. I wasn’t sure you’d have time for me.”

“That’s so strange. I wanted to come talk to you, and ask how you could seem so peaceful amid so much noise.”

“You looked so grim. Like you were having no fun.”

“I wasn’t. I hate parties. And the makeup always makes me look serious.” She shrugged.

“People are just people. They’re nothing to be afraid of,” Tashi said.

Kyoshi sighed. “I know that. I can handle it. I just don’t like it. I like quiet places. I like my village. I don’t need a million friends.”

“If you’re at peace with yourself, then every place you go you can bring your own quiet.”

Kyoshi lay back, and looked up at the blue sky. Tashi looked down at her.

“I think I’m at peace with myself. Mostly.”

“Perfect is nearly impossible. Mostly is good enough.”

“Master Motomu said the representative from the Air Nomads was the chief student of the spiritual leader. I can see he was right about that.”

“Chief student? I’m just a girl looking for enlightenment.”

“Girl?” Kyoshi laughed. “Aren’t you my age?”

“You’re only as old as you feel.”

“Ah! That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“I feel like a teenager again,” Kyoshi said. “I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”

“It must be hard being the Avatar.”

“It’s been easy the past several years. Political issues are stable. As Motomu said, the Earth Kingdoms’ troubles are ‘persistent and perennial’, so it’s easy to prevent something bad from happening. The natural disasters are harder to predict.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

Kyoshi put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. It was quiet for a while.

“I do get lonely, yes.”

“You don’t need a million friends.”

“No.”

“Just maybe one good one.”

“Yes.”

When Kyoshi opened her eyes, Tashi was looking out over the sea. Her face was serene as ever.

“The Lady Suzue seems very interested in you.”

Kyoshi suddenly recalled Suzue, whom she had completely forgotten while she’d been with Tashi. She must have seen them talking in the garden earlier. “She… I can’t figure out what she wants from me.”

“Does she not simply want to be your friend?”

“That’s what she says,” Kyoshi replied. “And yet there seems to be more to what she says than what she’s saying.”

Tashi’s lips turned up in a small smile.

“You’re much easier to talk to. I don’t feel like you want anything from me.”

Tashi put her fingertips together, and touched the center of her breast. “I have everything I need here.”

Kyoshi closed her eyes again.

“Is there any room in there for me?” she asked, quietly.

“You are already there,” Tashi said.


	5. A Haiku Competition

Tashi and Kyoshi came back down the mountainside with little time to spare. They’d separated at the gate, as the cohort of Air Nomads had come to take her away… there was something they needed to discuss with her.

Kyoshi went back to her suite and rested for only a few minutes, touching up her makeup and smoothing her hair. She took off her layer of armor and outer cloak, brushing the dust and bits of leaves on them from lying on the ground at the mountaintop.

She sighed. Tashi was so wonderful, so kind, so humble and easy to talk to. She could see herself forming a close friendship… indeed, was that not what she meant when she said she was already in Tashi’s heart? But at the moment she couldn’t allow herself to dream of more. It was too soon.

The haiku competition. On the way back, phrases were coming into her mind, and she measured the syllables, hoping she could remember them when it was her turn to speak. The rules of a haiku competition varied from place to place, but it was always five, seven and five syllables, and the theme ought to include something about nature. Kyoshi didn’t feel she was so good with words that she could possibly win, but her mind was certainly full of beautiful things.

She thought of Lady Suzue again. She also was beautiful, and eager to be her friend. She began to understand what Motomu felt; the ambition was clear, but her motives were still opaque.

There was also the deep temptation to find out exactly what the Lady Suzue seemed to want. It was rare to have someone express any interest in her outside the most formal situations. Her few relationships had always been with confident, self-assured people. She supposed most others were simply too intimidated by her Avatar powers to even approach her.

Except for the first, her relationships had ended because they thought she was too cold. They didn’t understand her need for space. She thought she’d loved them, but it was so hard to be present to someone all the time, when she needed time to restore herself, in peace and solitude. It was hard to explain, and so far, hard to make anyone accept or understand.

But this. This was clearly not meant to be a long-term relationship. It would be a risk, but what would really be the harm, if the risk was considered? A night of pleasure, a fond memory, and someone to write some letters to occasionally.

Or scandal and global war. Not a good balance.

No time for more consideration. The tea was already being served.

* * *

 

The great hall in front of the grand staircase of the palace was crowded with people, kneeling at tables, having tea served to them by a nearly equal number of servants. There was a sound of talking, and its volume level rose and fell like waves.

Kyoshi took a seat at a table near the stairs, but not at the high table. She didn’t believe anyone would object. She joined a couple from the Southern Water Tribe, and discussed the goings-on there. She asked questions regarding the happiness and safety of the citizens, and was pleased to learn that there were many births coming in the spring; the tribe was growing and everyone was well.

She glanced around, now and again, looking for the airbenders, but they were not yet there. She wondered what news it was the others had brought to Tashi when they’d returned from their walk.

The Fire Lord and Lady Suzue sat on cushions on a dais, sipping their tea, presiding over the crowd. The prince and his bride mingled with the nobles, greeting them, asking questions, receiving good-natured advice. They laughed and held hands. Kyoshi watched them. They whispered to each other frequently, made eye contact often, were never separated by much. This might have been an arranged, political marriage, but she was grateful to see that the prince and his bride were more than satisfied with the arrangement. With luck, this would mean stability within the Fire Nation for the future, and therefore less risk to the global balance of power among the bending nations.

When it was clear everyone had been served and offered a second cup, Lady Suzue rose and spoke to the assembled.

“Dear guests, it is our great honor to receive you during this time of celebration for our nation. We are so very proud to show you the best that the Fire Nation has to offer. For your entertainment at this gathering, I propose that we begin a game of beauty and wit; a challenge of haiku.”

The crowd, completely aware this was on the agenda, applauded politely and murmured appropriately.

“Do we have any who would like to begin? The judging will be by the consensus of the crowd. Please, who would like to start?”

Kyoshi watched the crowd titter and look excitedly around, hoping some brave soul would be brave enough (or foolhardy enough) to go first.

The Southern Water Tribe chieftain at Kyoshi’s table stood.

     “in the winter sun  
     snow on the icy rooftops  
     glimmers like diamonds”

It was a good beginning. There was applause, loudest from the Water Tribe, and the chieftain sat and smiled at his wife with a look of profound relief. She looked back at him with warmth.

     “diamonds and jewels  
     from beneath the tall mountains  
     shine throughout the year”

announced a leader from one of the Earth Kingdom’s cities. There was applause, andmany earth bending citizens said “ooh” at the gentle challenge to the water bender’s effort. The chieftain laughed good-naturedly at the response. He was simply glad to be done.

And so the competition went, as some created new threads and those provoked new challenges, each seeming to tout the beauty and greatness of their own homelands. There was clapping and laughter at some of the more sharply-worded lines.

Finally Suzue stood, and, catching Kyoshi’s eye briefly, said

     “intoxicating  
     all the power in nature  
     in beauty contained”

and there was again applause, the loudest from the Fire Nation nobles. Fire Lord Hiro smiled benignly at his wife.

Kyoshi caught movement in her peripheral vision, and she turned to see the airbenders coming in late and taking tables at the back. Tashi was with them. Her face was difficult to read, but it appeared as though a cloud were shadowing the peace that she had seen before.

She stood, and many of the guests drew a sharp breath. None had heard her speak at all before now. She tried not to look at anyone, but rather stared at a point in the air in front of her.

     “your face so serene  
     a bloom on a slender stalk  
     my rough hands tremble”

The room was still enough to hear a pin drop, and then there was thunderous applause. Lady Suzue applauded as loudly as any.

The Avatar sat as quickly as she thought was polite, and the Water Tribe chieftain gripped her forearm in their customary greeting, with a wide smile on both his and his wife’s face.

From the back of the room, she heard Tashi speak.

     “cherry blossoms fall  
     but you should remember that  
     they return each year”

And again there was clapping, not so loud as before, but a solid appreciation of the meaning of her words. It was a good haiku.

Lady Suzue rose again, and asked if there were any others, or whether it was time to judge. Flawlessly, she remembered the order in which people had spoken, and the crowd applauded as appropriate, but it was clear in everyone’s mind who had won the competition. When she came to Kyoshi, all the tables stood, and they cheered when Suzue gestured toward her.

“It seems the people have spoken, and Avatar Kyoshi has won this competition. Come, receive your prize!”

Kyoshi was unaware there was a prize for this, so she was startled at the words. She stood from her table and moved to the dais, where the Lady Suzue presented her with a long, engraved hairpin made of gold, the top in a dragon’s head shape. “The pin’s sharpness represents the wit of the poet, and the engraving the beauty of the words. The gold is the value we put upon both.”

Kyoshi bowed deeply and formally, and accepted the pin, putting it into the band of green silk at her waist. Her hair was not done in a style appropriate to hairpins, so she hoped that she had offended no one by doing so; it seemed no one was going to second-guess her decision.

“Now, if you would all be so kind as to join us out on the lawn, there will be a demonstration of the Ring of Fire game, played with flames as we do in the Fire Nation!” The Fire Lord rose and proceeded down and out. Suzue came down from the dais, and took Kyoshi by the arm and, following her husband, led Kyoshi out a door to the lawn where they’d spoken in the morning. The crowd followed.

Kyoshi wished desperately to be out of the center of attention, but it seemed she was required to endure the congratulations of every member of the assembly as the game was begun and played.

Motomu and Fuyiko came to her eventually, and he whispered thoughtfully into her ear, “You’ve done well, child. In all respects. I hope she turns out to be the friend you need.”

Kyoshi bowed to him and they moved on. She hoped that Tashi would soon be along; the poem was inspired by her, composed on the way down the mountain, full of the hope and longing she felt in those moments. She wanted to know what Tashi thought.

Tashi wasn’t there. When the airbenders came, they congratulated her on her win and the lovely words she’d used. She asked one if there was something amiss.

“Our apologies, Avatar. The spirit of our leader, Monk Sonam, has left this world. Monk Tashi has asked for some time to meditate on the event.”

Kyoshi’s face fell as she heard this news. Beyond her own disappointment, her heart ached for Tashi.

“I offer my condolences,” she said, and bowed deeply. “And hope for release, or a swift and joyful rebirth.”

“Great thanks to you, Avatar."

“Will Monk Tashi be going back to the Eastern Temple, then?”

“Not until after the wedding is complete, Avatar. She does not mourn for him; he is free. She mourns us, who still have earthly tethers.”

“May I come to see her later?”

“She may appreciate that, yes,” the young man said. “I will come for you if she accepts your request.”

Again Kyoshi bowed, and the airbender replied in kind.

She turned her attention back to the game. She watched the skillful players flip the flaming hoop back and forth across the lawn, in increasingly wider distances, eliciting gasps and amazed sounds from the crowd. The sun was dipping toward the horizon, and shadows were everywhere; the effect was brilliant. Suzue had arranged this for her benefit. She turned to find her hostess in the crowd.

Suzue had been watching her.

She moved to the chairs where she and the Fire Lord were sitting, in the center of everything, surrounded by nobility. “Suzue,” she said, quietly, leaning in toward her.

The Lady bent her head to hear. “Is there something wrong?”

“I wanted to thank you,” she gestured at the game, “for this.”

Suzue’s face settled into a satisfied grin, “But of course,” she said. “It was nothing.”

* * *

 

Dinner was yet again extravagant. Kyoshi paced herself better, eating far less and saying no to many of the dishes presented to her. She had water instead of wine, and kept her wits about her. The evening’s entertainment was a play in a stylized form, a tragedy of star-crossed lovers. She found the style interesting, but could not get into the story, and paid more attention to the watchers than the players. Suzue again was two seats down from her, deep in a whispered conversation with the counselor next to her. The Fire Lord looked bored. Around the room there was a mix of interest and distraction; there were many conversations just like Suzue’s happening around the court. The Water Tribe chieftain and his wife with whom she’d sat at the haiku competition were engrossed in the story, and they held hands. The prince and his bride also leaned in close to each other, sometimes watching intently, sometimes whispering.

She missed Tashi. She would have loved to hear her take on the play, its style and form. The story was ancient beyond imagining; every nation had its version. She wanted to talk to Tashi about everything, hear what she thought about every subject under the sun and the stars. Motomu’s hope that she was the friend Kyoshi needed was exactly what she needed to hear. And she hoped that she would be allowed to comfort her, if that was what she needed.

She looked around the room once more, and caught Suzue’s eyes upon her again. She smiled and looked down at her hands. The risks were not worth the benefit, she told herself. No matter how much she might want it, one word overheard by a servant was a loose pebble that could cause a landslide. And in any case it wasn’t right; ultimately it was abetting an injury to the Fire Lord’s honor. As far as she knew, he didn’t deserve this.

It was silly, too, to presume that a liaison what Suzue was suggesting. Perhaps she should be that kind of blunt that earthbenders were known to be, and simply ask what her intentions were.

The play ended, to relieved applause. Musicians took their places, and dancing began again, with tunes from across the world. They played a vigorous song known to the Water Tribe, and those guests took the floor while others watched. Kyoshi took the opportunity to sidle up to Suzue, and touched her elbow.

"Could we have a word? In private?"

Lady Suzue's half-lidded eyes slid to the side to see her, and her smile was coy but wide. She nodded, leaned to her, and whispered, "I'll send for you."


	6. The Wrong Room

"Avatar Kyoshi, please come in."

The servant delivered a baffled Kyoshi to the Fire Lord's throne room.

When she'd slipped away from the dance, she'd waited in her suite, meditating. A servant came, as she'd expected, and she simply followed him, but had no idea that the Fire Lord had sent for her.

When the servant left, she stood before the throne, waiting. Fire Lord Hiro sat a bit slumped in the throne, his chin in his hand, his brow furrowed.

After a time, he spoke. "Avatar, I need your help."

"In what way?"

"Lady Suzue is plotting against me, and I see that she has been ingratiating herself with you. I hoped to speak with you to learn if there is anything I need to know to protect myself and my people."

Kyoshi was alarmed. "No, she has not revealed anything like that to me. Indeed, her conversations have been anything but political. She seems…" Suddenly she was hesitant to say.

"Seems… how?" Hiro prompted.

"As though she were more interested in my personal life."

He frowned deeper. "Was she making an assignation with you this evening?"

Now she was startled.

"Avatar Kyoshi, please don't misunderstand me. I know you are honorable. I know that you wouldn't risk the balance of power in the Fire Nation by accepting an advance from my wife. But I also know she's done the same with many of my nobles, and the result is that some of my policies are receiving resistance as a result."

"Fire Lord," Kyoshi began. She hardly knew how to answer truthfully.

He sighed very deeply.

"Fire Lord Hiro, I was asking for a word with your wife to determine what her intentions were. I felt as though the way she was behaving was leading toward such a suggestion. I was determined not to follow through. But tell me, why do you not discuss this directly with her? Why bother with asking me? She is your wife, is she not?"

"Ours was always a political marriage. We haven't had relations since we were sure our son would survive to be heir."

The thick makeup hid her blush at his frank admission.

"We had an arrangement. The one I love could never be by my side; so we agreed that she could do as she pleased as long as I could keep him near me."

Kyoshi was astonished.

"The problem now is that, since I have been working to create changes in the society, she fears her position of privilege is somehow threatened. Some of the nobles she… knows… are fiercely opposed to those changes, and they have been too slow to implement my laws. I fear that we are at a turning point. Unless I can affect greater change, and win the hearts of the people, Suzue and her cronies will expose me, and I will be powerless."

"Why have they not already done so?"

"As of now, the things I have changed have benefited the common people most, and they have made me popular with them. I need them on my side to implement other changes. If I am exposed, the scandal and lack of support from the nobility will make those other changes impossible. They will use fear to tear me down, and fear to undo the progress I've made so far."

"I see. But I have no information to offer you. As of now all we've discussed is me."

"Would you be willing to find out more?"

"You mean, go meet with her, and find out her intent? I'd planned to do so already, but it seems you've answered that for me. Perhaps. With all due respect, Fire Lord, it's only your word you give me and some vague feelings I've had that prove your point."

"That's fair. But let me ask you this… if I asked you to spend more time with her, and follow the path where it leads, would you go there? You were determined not to dishonor me: and I would not ask you to do anything you would find objectionable to your person. Yet you would be at liberty to use whatever means you felt appropriate to determine the truth."

Kyoshi was shocked at what she was hearing. She now had the Fire Lord's permission… no, his _request_ … to pursue an affair with his wife, but as a spy. Her feelings were scrambled. Suzue had made her unsettled but she'd done nothing wrong. She was attracted to her, beyond doubt. But if she did find out that what the Fire Lord was saying was true, then the appeal of the encounter would fade utterly. And then? Would it blow up in her face? An angry Suzue, and a guilty conscience for using her for her own pleasure? But it was possible that Suzue was doing the same, using her desire for friendship and pleasure to work her will. It was confusing and dangerous. She needed advice, but there was no time. Indeed, Suzue might have already sent for her, and she would have missed the message. How would that be interpreted?

She wished Motomu were there to ask, or Tashi. No, not Tashi. She couldn't bear the thought of Tashi knowing she was actually considering the affair.

"What were the changes you proposed to make, Fire Lord? Why is it so critical that you implement them?"

"My first changes were for the well-being and livelihood of my people. I tried to improve the servants' working conditions and their pay. I tried to implement protections for farmers and craftsmen against natural disasters, but also corruption and exploitation. I allowed women to own their own property and to join the Navy, if they wished, in order to improve the equality of the sexes. These things have made my people thrive."

He stood. "The more difficult changes were to come. I wanted to protect the right of the people to speak out against the nobles without fear of death. I wanted to let people marry who they wished regardless of their class. I wanted to… to allow those like my love and I to step out of the shadows and be protected from harm. That was the hardest one. I wanted to live openly with my love, but not just for myself. The people would not accept that unless all the other things were put in place. A scandal too soon would make that impossible during my lifetime."

"Suzue opposes this? But… she seemed to be making advances to _me._ I'm no man."

"Suzue opposes the things that would limit her power. You would only be the means to an end. For her, power is an aphrodisiac, and whoever holds power is whom she desires. But once she had what she needed from you, whatever that might be, she would be done with you."

Kyoshi frowned deeply. She had a hard time believing that the kind gestures and open manner of Suzue could shroud such duplicity. But that was the nature of court intrigue. Motomu had had suspicions, and he wasn't a fool.

"I believe that what you tell me of your plans for your kingdom are good and worthy, and should not be opposed. In that I stand with you. But I need to find the truth for myself, Fire Lord. I'll do as I had originally planned. I'll meet with her, if I can, and ask her intent. Her answer will show me either that your fears are unfounded, or that she represents a threat to you."

The Fire Lord bowed to her. "Avatar, you are wise and noble. I trust you to do what is right."


	7. Hot Springs

The Avatar wished desperately for silence.

It was becoming very, very late. Her audience with the Fire Lord was draining. Today had been too full to understand everything… the advances of Suzue, meeting and befriending Tashi, the haiku competition, the dinner, the dance… and now this. She was confused and upset. The last thing she wanted was to be a spy.

Kyoshi walked the hallways to her suite, hoping that she’d missed Suzue’s messenger. Perhaps they could meet tomorrow. She didn’t know whether Tashi had wanted to talk, but she was sure she’d missed that opportunity anyway.

No. There was a young servant sitting, half asleep, at the door to her suite. The poor child had been ordered to wait for her.

The sleepy-eyed boy rose when she approached, and bowing low, said, “Avatar Kyo—”

“I know, child,” she replied. “show me the way.”

He led her silently through a maze of hallways, descending flights of stairs. She was surprised. This could hardly be where the Fire Lady spent her nights, could it?

The boy opened the door to a room far below the palace, lit by many candles. It was an underground hot spring. Steam rose from natural pools in the stone. Keeping his eyes averted, he bowed and quickly closed the door behind her.

Suzue lay in a pool, her head back on a pillow, eyes closed. “Come join me,” she said.

“My face paint,” Kyoshi replied.

“Take it off.”

“No.”

“Then leave it on. Do what you will. But come join me.”

“Suzue. What’s your game?”

“What do you mean? What game?”

“Everything you say to me comes with a look that means something else. What’s your intent?”

“To relax…” she smiled and laughed. “This water is so hot and soothing! Just relax and enjoy it!”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Kyoshi was tired now.

“Hiro had you brought to him. You take every word I say now as some kind of calculation, part of some nasty plot.”

“I told him I wanted to find out the truth for myself.”

“What truth? That I think he’s a fool for wanting to replace me with a farm boy? That I entertain myself with the noblemen who give me what he can’t?”

“That you intend to expose him and leave him powerless?”

“Either he will be, or I will be. If you were me, which would you choose?”

Kyoshi didn’t answer.

“He said that power was an aphrodisiac for you.”

“Oh and it is!” she laughed again. “Absolutely!”

“What do you want from me?”

“I’m curious,” Suzue said, opening her eyes and fixing her gaze on Kyoshi. “I’ve never met a woman with such power. I wonder what it would be like to touch it...”

Suzue rose from the pool, the flames of the candles dancing on the rippling pool; her body was jeweled with firelight in the beads of water that ran down her skin.

Kyoshi’s breath was stilled. Suzue’s body was perfect: soft, smooth, strong. She bore the marks of childbirth, but that was nothing. Her hair was up, piled upon her head, a few loose strands accentuating the shining mass of black. A large jade comb held it in place. Her amber eyes were piercing. Full lips were dark in the shadows, contrasting with her pale skin, flushed pink now with the water’s heat.

She moved toward Kyoshi, stepping gracefully out of the water, and coming close enough to whisper. “...to touch you.”

Kyoshi drew a sharp breath. Suzue’s eyebrow lifted, and her smile became a smirk. She was close enough now that she had to look up to Kyoshi’s face, and her hands came up, reaching for the brass headdress. Kyoshi seized her wrists.

“On my terms,” she said.

Suzue’s smile faded for a moment, and she frowned slightly.

“To understand power, you should know what it is to submit to it.”

The smile was gone now, and what was that in her eyes? Fear, perhaps?

The look lasted only a moment, and like putting on a mask, Suzue recovered, smiling seductively once again. “As you wish, Avatar.”

“We need not.“

“Oh noo, no!” Suzue insisted. “Show me your power.”

“If you want to change your mind, you can. At any time. Tell me to stop, and I will stop.”

Kyoshi let go of her wrists, and reached around her own waist, removing the green silk belt. She took the gold pin from the haiku ceremony and put it through a fold of her outer skirt. Then she took the silk, and twisting it a few times, wrapped it around Suzue’s eyes, blindfolding her.

“I choose who sees my true face,” she said.

She could see goosebumps rise on Suzue’s arms. “Turn,” she commanded.

Suzue did as she was told.

Kyoshi inhaled deeply again. From this angle Suzue was no less perfect: sculptured neck and shoulders, lean muscled back, shapely buttocks. She put the palms of her hands on Suzue’s hips, and paused, fighting for control of herself. She was already sweating from wearing the heavy uniform in this cave, filled with steam, but there was a different heat running through her. It had been so long since she had touched anyone like this, or had been touched. Just the sight of the Fire Lady had eroded her resolve; she had permission, she had need, and Suzue wanted her too. Whether or not Suzue felt any emotion for her wasn’t important. Nothing seemed important but the body she held under her command.

Command. Power. This was a struggle over power in herself. Kyoshi knew she could teach Suzue a lesson, but it could set a dark precedent. To enjoy this control, to derive pleasure from it, was a dangerous path for her to follow. The Avatar’s power was not for personal gain, she’d said.

But the skin, the hips, the shape of this woman. She wanted it so much she felt herself buckling inside.

She let her hands go. Suzue let go of her breath in a long exhalation.

Kyoshi brought to her grip a small collection of stones from the floor of the cave. She pulled Suzue’s hands behind her back and reshaped the stones around the wrists, binding her. “Stay there,” she said.

Suddenly the Fire Lady seemed very small. She was standing, naked, bound and blindfolded, on a stone floor. She was a little stooped, her knees pulled inward slightly. Kyoshi wondered if she was becoming afraid.

“Do you want to keep going?” she asked.

Hesitantly Lady Suzue nodded.

Kyoshi undressed. It was a relief to be out of the armor and thick dress. She hesitated about removing her cotton shift, the last article of clothing she wore, but another glance in Suzue’s direction broke her, and she pulled it over her head. She found a towel, dipped it in the hot water, and scrubbed the paint away.

She went back to Suzue, approaching her from the front this time, and came close enough for their breasts to touch. She stopped there, and Suzue gasped, and moved to lift her arms but could not.

Kyoshi started at the Fire Lady’s throat, encircling them with her hands, loosely. Suzue’s mouth opened in shock, but then Kyoshi moved them downward along her shoulders and arms to the elbows. Her hands came around and pressed their bodies together, and she bent and caught Suzue’s earlobe between her teeth. She could feel the Lady’s trembling, and wondered again whether it was fear or excitement. A trail of kisses down her throat made Suzue groan.

She stepped back, hearing the ragged breath, and pulled her by the upper arm, forcing her to step forward. She kept pulling, walking the unseeing woman back to the hot water, and then guided her into it.

Having come out of the water, her body had cooled enough for the heat to be shocking again, but Kyoshi stepped in with her, and felt the sting of the temperature as well. She slowly brought both of them down, down into the pool together. She sat on a shelf near the edge, and brought Suzue around to face and then opened her legs to straddle her.

“Oh, oh my,” Suzue said, breathlessly.

“Quiet,” Kyoshi said, curtly. “I didn’t say you could speak.”

She could see Suzue frown. She was unused to being given orders, but closed her mouth.

In a moment, Kyoshi pulled her in and kissed her, hard, with a hungry mouth. She began moving her hands up and down along Suzue’s thighs, and around to her behind. Suzue started to move in time, rocking her hips slightly with each stroke. Then Kyoshi opened her legs, spreading Suzue’s wider, and with a gesture of her hands Suzue felt herself being filled with something solid but not solid. Kyoshi was bending the water, pushing inside, and caressing her sex outside, all at once. There was no going back now.

Suzue groaned, feeling the strange penetration and stimulation, arching her back and moving against the solidity she felt. She tried to ride it, pulling her thighs inward to rise up. Kyoshi accommodated by pulling and pushing the water within her, feeling her own excitement rising.

“Wait now,” she said, suddenly, and let the water become simply water again. Suzue had not reached her peak and was lost, still moving, but feeling nothing.

“Nooo!” she cried.

Kyoshi took a handful of Suzue’s hair and yanked backward on it. “I said quiet.”

As she said this, she put her hand between Suzue’s legs and began massaging her vulva. Suzue’s breath came in short gasps. Kyoshi shifted slightly, and her fingers stroked the clitoris with rapid, firm strokes, back and forth.

Suzue started to make high pitched cries, short bursts of “ah!” with every stroke, and she moved against Kyoshi’s hand in a frenzy. Kyoshi no longer needed to pull her head back, and loosened her grip on her hair. Suzue was arched, stiff, feeling the sensation mount.

And then Kyoshi stopped a second time. Suzue sobbed as the pleasure faded again. Under the blindfold the expression on her face was one of agony.

“Why do you keep doing that?” she cried out.

Kyoshi lifted her hand to deliver a stinging slap. “Quiet!” she barked.

Suzue cringed. Kyoshi regretted it immediately. _Spirits! What are you doing?_ she asked herself.

Immediately she broke the binding around Suzue’s hands, and brought her palms up and around to her lips, kissing the reddened wrists. Suzue had stiffened in fear.

Tenderly Kyoshi kissed her lips, parting them with a gentle tongue. She brought her hands behind Suzue and moved them along her back, softly. Suzue began to relax again, and Kyoshi’s hand slipped between them once more. This time, slowly, she moved her fingers against the flesh, and touched the bundle of nerves only lightly, softly. Suzue was weeping, and Kyoshi was filled with shame, even as the slickness from Suzue’s own moisture eased the strokes, and she moved against her fingers, searching for more pressure.

Kyoshi pulled Suzue to her, and increased the pressure, but gently. She felt Suzue start to shudder. But this time she was silent, her own hand pressed to her mouth, trying not to cry out. The Fire Lady’s orgasm hit her, and she clung to Kyoshi, shaking, breathing hard through gritted teeth.

Kyoshi held her, angry at herself.

When the Lady had calmed and the last waves of the orgasm were finished, Kyoshi set her free, opening her hands and letting her drift back into the pool of steaming water.

Suzue lifted the blindfold and saw her without her mask for the first time. She had a strange expression, like puzzlement.

Kyoshi didn’t know what to say. She felt awful.

“You wanted to teach me a lesson,” Suzue said, finally.

“Yes.”

“You already knew the truth.”

“You confirmed it for me.”

There was silence, for a long, uncomfortable time.

The Lady rose from the pool, and put on a robe from a ledge nearby. Her face was expressionless. She looked at Kyoshi once again, and left.

Kyoshi sank into the steaming water. Exhausted, she leaned back, touched herself, and let the tears flow.


	8. Her True Face

The sun passed a tower wall, and shone directly onto the bed where Kyoshi lay. It was late morning already. She covered her eyes from the glare and rose, reluctantly. She wanted simply to stay in the bed, alone, quiet, all the rest of the day, the rest of the week. Maybe she could just stay here in bed until the whole wedding week was done and just go home unnoticed.

Maybe she could claim to be ill. She was ill. She was heartsick.

The way Suzue had wept on her as she held her. Tears she'd caused. At least...at least she couldn't claim to have enjoyed it.

The Fire Lady had been kind to her. She'd shown her openness and a willingness to be a friend. No, she hadn't. Suzue had tried to use her. Just like she had tried to use Suzue. What was the difference? There was none.

But she could have been a friend. Kyoshi could have tried to work out the issues between her and the Fire Lord some other way. She should have walked out of that cave. She should have held herself steadier, been less selfish.

Now. Now she'd torn her open, made her feel fear. Maybe today she'd feel anger... what Kyoshi had done could backfire. She wanted her to understand how it felt to fear someone with power, but what if Suzue didn't care? What if, having felt the fear, she was determined to sieze more power, so she never had to feel powerless again?

_Either he will be, or I will be,_ she'd said.

She had to tell the Fire Lord that what he suspected was true. But if he asked for help? To take Suzue down, out of the picture? Suzue didn't ask to be put in this position, knowing she could be replaced, if Hiro had his way. She was the victim of an arranged marriage. So was he.

If Kyoshi had just controlled herself, mastered her own desire, maybe there would have been another way.

It didn't matter now. This path was set. Now she had to see where it led, and what she would have to do.

The box with her paints was on the dressing table. A gift from a friend in the southern seas. She missed those simple days. But that girl had been arranged to be married too, that friend, that young love. Sacrificed herself for her people's peace. Kyoshi missed her every time the box was opened.

As she was preparing herself, applying the thick makeup to her face, there was a tapping on the door. It was soft and quiet.

She wasn't ready yet to be seen without her mask, so, going to the door, she asked, "Who's there?"

"Tashi."

Kyoshi's face wrinkled in pain. She was so ashamed; how could she look Tashi in the eye?

"Please, Kyoshi. Let me in."

Kyoshi opened the door and let Tashi enter. She'd seen her, years ago, as a student, before her travels took her to those warm islands. There was no harm in letting her in while she continued to prepare her mask. She already knew her true face.

"You weren't here last night."

"I was summoned by the Fire Lord," Kyoshi said, avoiding her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to say more.

Tashi sat on the edge of the bed as Kyoshi resumed painting.

"Monk Sonam has passed," she said.

"I'm so sorry, Tashi. One of your companions told me. I asked if I could come see you, but then I was called away. I wanted to be there for you." She lowered her brush, and turned to her. "I so wanted to see you last night. I... I ...Yesterday, when we climbed the mountain. It was like the years had fallen away, and I was young with you."

"I begged him to let me come to this wedding, because I knew you would be here," Tashi said.

The brush slipped from Kyoshi's fingers.

"But then you were gone, last night. I came to you. You said to send for you, but I came myself. And I saw you return, and leave again with the servant boy."

Kyoshi's face twisted again. "Oh, no."

"You went to Suzue."

"I had to, Tashi. I had to know what she wanted from me. And the Fire Lord wanted me to find out too. He asked me to learn the truth."

"Which was?"

"She wanted to... know... what real power was like."

Tashi sighed, a sad, heavy sigh.

"And so you showed her."

Kyoshi buried her face in her hands. Awful, wracking sobs and a clenching pain swam up from within her chest. She wanted to run away, to dive under the sea. She wanted to be under the mountain, away from the light, and the look on Tashi's face.

She wept like this, a few minutes, until the tears subsided some; she sat up at her table, and looked in the mirror, and her face, the paint streaked with tears, her eyes red and puffed, looked back at her. Tashi was still there, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Her shoulders were shaking too, and Kyoshi felt herself drowning. She'd caused so much pain.

She went over and sat next to her. "I didn't know, Tashi. I didn't know. I just didn't know! If I knew, I wouldn't have gone! I wanted to see you! To be with you!“ As she spoke her voice rose, her throat tightening.

Tashi threw her arms around Kyoshi, and they held each other, tight.

"I never meant to hurt anyone," she sobbed, "and now I've hurt everyone, and you too."

"Kyoshi, Kyoshi… please…hush…"

Kyoshi stayed there with her, holding her and being held, until they both had wrung out the tears. They began to calm and breathe easier.

Tashi pulled away, slowly, and looked in her eyes. "I didn't tell you. You didn't know. You can't blame yourself for that."

"But I hurt you. I went to Suzue instead of waiting for you."

"I weep because you're in pain. I have everything I need, remember?" She put her fingertips to her breastbone again. "And you're there too. So if you're in pain, I'm in pain too.“

"I'm so ashamed, Tashi. I've made such a mess of this whole thing."

"No, no… Oh, Kyoshi… no. There's always hope, and there's always a chance to do the right thing."

Kyoshi looked at her, her face pained and trying to understand. "What can I do? I hurt her in order to teach her a lesson. I used her for my own… my own needs."

"That's your only mistake. You forget that you _have_ everything you need… " she gently poked Kyoshi's chest, "… _right here_."

Kyoshi shivered, as her anguish started to lift. Tashi was smiling softly at her, tears still wet on her cheeks.

"You can make this right. You can show her compassion."

"I can… yes, yes, I can. That's the answer."

"You made her feel fear. Fear is the tool of the powerful who don't know compassion. But you know, don't you?"

Kyoshi looked up at the ceiling as the realization came to her. No one had loved Suzue. They had only used her as she had used them. The Fire Lord… he understood something of compassion for his people, though incompletely, as she herself had only seen part of the problem.

"But what about you?" Kyoshi asked, in a near whisper. "You came to me, and I wasn't here. You came all the way here for me."

Tashi blushed. "I have everything I need…" she said. "But there are still things I _want._ "

Kyoshi took Tashi’s hands in her own.

"You look ridiculous, you know," Tashi said. "Maybe you should finish your makeup."

Kyoshi laughed, for what seemed like the first time in weeks.

“I know what to do now,” Kyoshi said.


	9. Three In One

She let Tashi do the talking.

Together they sought out Fire Lady Suzue, who was mingling among the guests this last afternoon before the wedding. Tonight's feast would be more restrained, more solemn, as ancient rites preparing and purifying the prince and his bride were to be performed, and perhaps they would not have another opportunity before the celebrations were over.

Kyoshi watched from a distance, not exactly anxious, but still concerned. Suzue seemed to be herself, as they saw her in the crowd, smiling, laughing, leaning in to listen. Yet she was paler than Kyoshi remembered, even from yesterday morning. And it was clear that she was avoiding Kyoshi's eye, casually spinning to take a guest's elbow or clasp hands if it meant being able to look the other way.

 _Regret is just part of being human,_ she thought. _Everyone makes mistakes, and some are bad mistakes, but each one has a lesson to teach._

Watching, she took the time to consider her; they'd already been as physically intimate as any two people could be, but she knew almost nothing about her otherwise; she knew nothing of her likes or dislikes, where she'd lived or who her family was. She didn't know if she liked to read, or run, or swim, or play Pai Sho. She didn't know her favorite wine or dessert.

This had been her mistake. She'd tried to teach her a lesson, without knowing what Suzue already knew. Maybe she already understood fear and pain; if so, then Kyoshi's lesson to her had simply been cruel.

It might be possible to make it right, but this time she'd have to be more careful. Tashi would need to find out for her whether she could even approach the Fire Lady and not make things worse.

As Tashi finally came to her, Suzue was calm and graceful; it struck Kyoshi then that they were both equally beautiful, in their own ways. Suzue was elegant and cultured; Tashi was humble and pure. She knew she loved Tashi already; she wanted to start over again with Suzue. She yearned for them both, and the idea filled her with disquiet.

Tashi bent her head, speaking softly, and Suzue reached up to hear her. Her shoulders bowed slightly, and Tashi's arm went around her. They talked for several long minutes this way.

They stepped apart, and she looked over to Kyoshi, her face expressionless again. She nodded, and, taking Tashi's arm, went into the palace.

* * *

Kyoshi went out onto the great shady lawn of the palace, and found a quiet, level spot. She folded her legs into in the lotus position, her hands in her lap, and began to meditate. The Avatar breathed slowly, visualizing the air moving into and through her. She let the thoughts and memories of this difficult week drift into her mind, and out again.

If any had seen her, they would have known the moment she entered the Avatar state. Her eyes glowed with a bright light of their own.

She felt herself weightless for a moment, and then was aware that she was in the spirit world, in a place of vines and fog. Before her was one of her past lives.

"Kyoshi," she said, "it has been a long time." Avatar Yang Chen faced her, a serene and gentle smile on her face, also seated in the pose.

“Avatar Yang Chen, I did not expect to find you.”

“You are troubled.”

Kyoshi nodded.

“You are already so close to a solution, Kyoshi. You know that the answer to the struggle for power in the Fire Nation lies in compassion. You must strive to show the Fire Lord and his wife to consider the situation from the other’s point of view. You must reassure each of them that there is no loss when they are compassionate to each other.

“Yes, the Lady Suzue fears loss of power and privilege. And you are right to wonder if it’s because she’s never been shown love. If you believe that Lady Suzue doesn’t know what it’s like to be loved, show her. There’s never been an excess of love in the world.”

“I was wrong to do what I did with her. I’m ashamed. I hurt her, and she may not listen to me. Will she believe me if I tell her how sorry I am?”

"The needs of the body are easy to fill. The heart is not so easy. But you don’t know her heart, not yet. You can only say what you must, and accept the options it leaves you. But you can always offer compassion.”

“But what about Tashi?”

“She shows you what you need to know; you’ve always had a conflict between your need for solitude with the need for companionship. The airbenders practice detachment; even as she loves you, she knows that what she has within herself is enough. In this way she can love without expectation.”

Kyoshi asked, sadly, “How can I love both of them at the same time? Shouldn’t I choose?”

“In the same way a mother can love all her children at once. Love isn’t divided; you needn’t hold back from one what you give another. Give all you can; take all that is freely given to you. Honesty and clarity prevent fear and jealousy.

"We all forget, from time to time, because our path through life has many twists and turns. Forgive what wrongs are done to you… even when they’re done by you. The world provides enough suffering; counter it with kindness, to everyone you meet, and yourself. In this way you balance both yourself and keep balance in the world.”

And then she was gone, faded into the mists. Kyoshi closed her eyes again, was weightless again, and then she was back in her own body.

* * *

 

A servant brought Kyoshi to a room in the private living quarters, where Lady Suzue and Tashi sat upon cushions, and she was offered one as well. Tashi smiled at her.

“Monk Tashi has explained to me that you wish to apologize,” Suzue said stiffly.

Tashi gave Kyoshi an encouraging look.

“I do, Suzue. I was wrong to take advantage of you the way I did. I meant to show you a taste of the suffering that comes from the abuse of power. I should have asked you first whether you already knew it. I should have shown you kindness first.”

“I knew what I was doing. You gave me more than one opportunity to say no, and I didn’t take it,” Suzue said, a tear sliding down her cheek.

“I didn’t… I shouldn’t have… What we did was…”

Tashi said gently, “The needs of the body are easy to fill. The heart is not so easy. Between you both there should have been a better connection of spirit before you made such an intimate physical connection.”

Kyoshi looked at her with astonishment.

“I did genuinely want to be friends,” Suzue said. "But I challenged you. I wanted to see your power. I pushed you.”

“I wanted to be your friend too, Suzue. I still want to, if I haven’t ruined things. You didn’t push me; I was too eager. The Fire Lord asked me to find out what your plans were, and he said I could use whatever means. I lost control of myself.”

“Will you tell Hiro?”

“I have to. But I also beg you to reconsider. What we need now, between you and me, is more compassion. And between you and him. There is a path forward here, if we take it together.”

“I’ll lose everything if I let him win.”

“When you give something away, and become empty-handed, your hands are open to receive something different,” Tashi said.

There was silence for a moment, as Suzue considered this.

“What would you lose, Lady?” Tashi asked.

The Fire Lady had the grace to blush. “Power,” she said. “Authority. This life in the palace.”

“Are you certain? Consider the Avatar. She is the holder of power over all the elements, but she lives simply, in her home village. She loves her people there, and they love her. But her power is undiminished.”

“You would gain us,” Kyoshi added. “Friends. People who could love you.”

Suzue’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then narrowed. “You mock me.”

“We do not,” Tashi said tenderly. “We do not.”

“It gains us nothing to mock you, Lady,” Kyoshi said. “There’s no reason for me to cause you further pain. You're free do what you feel is right, but as the Avatar it is my duty to take care of you if you choose a path of peace.”

“Come… let’s enjoy ourselves for a little,” Tashi said, rising. “Let’s climb the mountain again. Suzue, join us. Come and see what we saw.”

Kyoshi also rose, and offered her hand to Suzue, who looked at her, mystified. Then Tashi offered her hand as well, and she took them both.

* * *

The afternoon was waning, so they went up the mountainside as before, leaping from level to level on the road, Tashi carrying Suzue up with her. When they arrived, they viewed the whole of the island, the other islands of the Fire Nation in the distance, and the sea, shining brilliantly in the late afternoon sun.

Together they sat in silence. Suzue sat between them.

“This is so new to me,” she said, finally.

“You’ve never been up here?” Kyoshi said, amazed.

“Not like this. No. I’ve always been occupied with things down at the palace. Running the household affairs, hosting dignitaries…I never had time to come here alone.”

“But you could have come with a friend,” Kyoshi said.

“You’re the first I’ve had since I married. I left my friends behind when I came here.”

Kyoshi and Tashi exchanged a look.

“Could you not have brought them to see you?” Kyoshi asked.

Suzue sighed. “I tried to focus my attention on the Fire Lord. He was my new husband, and I wanted to learn to love him. When I learned that he was not attracted to me because I am a woman, I was angry. But the price of luxury is keeping up appearances. We kept up the effort in order to produce an heir, but once he was born and we knew he was healthy, I started seeking out lovers among the nobles of the Fire Nation. I thought _they_ were my friends, but I started to see that they were just trying to use me to advance their own positions. And then Hiro started making changes.”

“The Fire Lord was trying to help the common people of the Fire Nation,” Kyoshi said.

“Not without his own agenda,” Suzue said. “His lover was a boy, Jin, from a farm on this island he knew before he met me. They met in secret for years before we were married. The Fire Lord before him would have had Jin killed, had he known.”

Tashi shook her head sadly.

“He wants to change the society so that he can elevate Jin to a status equal to that of mine. But then I will be useless. He might even send me away for opposing him, and I'll have no power, and no home, and no friends to return to.”

“You have us now,” Kyoshi said, firmly. “You’ll always have us.”

“So I started listening to the nobles I’d been sleeping with. They don’t know, I don’t think, about Hiro’s biggest change, but if I told them that, they would ruin him. They’ve opposed the changes so far, and promised to protect me if I helped them. But if I told them about Jin, Hiro would have to abdicate. Then my son would be made Fire Lord, and the nobleman I choose would have the most privileged position in his privy councils. They’re careful not to upset me, and I’ve... I've enjoyed the ability to play them against each other.”

She looked at the two of them. “But none of them love me. Do they?”

Kyoshi took her hand.

“Think now,” Tashi said, “if you let that all go.”

“Where would I go? I’d have no home!”

“You’d see the world,” Kyoshi said. “Remember how you wished you could?”

“But I’d have no money or possessions. How could I travel?”

Tashi laughed. “I have no money! But I do have an air bison!”

“I ride with whatever ship passes by my village,” Kyoshi admitted.

“How do you eat? Where do you find clothes to wear?”

“You haven’t seen the world, so I don’t think you realize what kindness is there among the people you’ll meet. Some aren’t kind, but many, many are. Some give you a meal in exchange for a good story, or just someone to talk to,” Tashi said. “But sometimes it’s good to go hungry, to remind you of those who don’t have enough to eat.”

“What?” Suzue was horrified.

Kyoshi looked at her pointedly. “There are people in the world who don’t have enough to eat. Surely you knew this.”

“No! This is outrageous! Where?” She started to stand, as though she were ready to fight on the spot.

Tashi laughed. “We have much to teach you, Fire Lady. The world is wide, and there is much to see.”

“You have a good heart, Suzue. You just need to set it free,” Kyoshi added.

“I don’t know how!” Suzue cried. “I don’t know what to do!”

Kyoshi and Tashi came together around her in an embrace.

“We’ll show you,” Kyoshi said.


	10. Purification

There was little time now before the preparation rituals. Down the mountain was faster than going up, but Suzue clung to Kyoshi as they descended, riding the air. Kyoshi was very aware of her, pleased that they had left the pain of their encounter behind, but now feeling the desire rise within her again. And Tashi was there at their side, tranquil and happy.

It was pleasant but confusing. Yang Chen had said that love was not divided, but the notion was so strange.

They arrived at the palace, and Suzue hurried off to change her clothes. Tashi and Kyoshi parted, so that Tashi could rejoin the airbenders and enter the hall in their company.

Kyoshi was alone again. At the beginning of this week, she’d longed to be alone, away from all the new faces. Since then she’d been in a whirl of emotions, and at this moment she realized she was very, very tired.

She went to the banquet hall, and found a place in a corner of the wide corridor to rest. Her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

Motomu and Fuyiko found her. Fuyiko touched her arm, and Kyoshi jumped awake again, startled.

“I’m sorry, dear,” the old woman said. “It’s time.”

“Enter with us,” Motomu said. “I’ve hardly seen you this whole week.” He smiled. “You’ve been very busy.”

“Master, you hardly know,” she laughed. “Hopefully the bustle is near an end.”

There was a crowd in the corridor now, of the people of the four nations, assembled for a parade into the banquet hall. The Fire Nation entered first, with Kyoshi, Motomu and Fuyiko among them, and they took seats at low tables near the front of the hall. Then the Earthbenders followed, sparkling with jewels, and the Water Tribe, all proud and resplendent in their finest clothes. The Airbenders came in last, seeming to float along, in tidy offset rows, a vision of unity and harmony. Tashi saw Kyoshi and the smile she had for her made Kyoshi’s heart melt.

At last, after a delay, the Fire Lord and Lady entered, their faces sober. They took a place near the center of the hall. They were followed and then encircled by the Fire Sages. Prince Hozumi entered.

The Fire Nation rose to their feet, and the other nations followed suit.

At last, the bride entered, a young, pale girl. Her face was determined. Her mother and father, beaming with pride, walked just behind her.

Kyoshi wondered what the young girl’s feelings were. At the first dinner, when she and the prince mingled with the crowd, they appeared to be in love, laughing together. They’d held hands and talked low to each other during the second dinner and the play. Now they met each other and sat side by side, solemnly. Kyoshi considered that Suzue may have been just the same, resolute to make an arranged marriage work, hopeful that she would learn to love the Fire Lord.

She wondered if Hiro had put on the same show. She couldn’t know whether Hozumi’s feelings for his bride were real or not. She hoped for the sake of the young couple that they were. She could ask Suzue later… much later.

The rituals began, and for all the pomp leading up to it, they turned out to be dreadfully boring. The Fire Sages droned on endlessly. Kyoshi was dangerously near to falling asleep again, and the golden hairpin from the haiku competition was a useful tool for poking herself awake.

After she found herself dozing off again, Kyoshi looked into the crowd, and saw Tashi with her hand over her mouth, struggling not to laugh. Kyoshi caught the giggles, and had to poke herself again to stop. Suzue caught her eye and was suddenly herself infected with the need to laugh, but with an iron will she only allowed herself a smile. She looked at Tashi and the circle was begun again, with Tashi’s shoulders shaking from suppressed laughter. Tashi made a face… rolling her eyes back into her head and pretending to fall asleep. Suzue accidentally snorted, and had to pretend it was a cough.

The universe showed mercy on them and the Fire Sages finished their chanting. They stood, and taking scrolls from the bride and groom, they threw them in the air and set them alight with blasts of flame. Thus their past transgressions, confessed and written on the scrolls, where burned away, forgotten.

The Fire Nation erupted in cheers, and the other nations applauded loudly.

Dinner was simple, reflecting the purity of the new couple. Rice and fish and pickled vegetables. It was delicious and perfect, Kyoshi thought.

When the meal was over, she sought out her new friends. She found Tashi easily, but Suzue seemed to have disappeared. They looked about the crowded hall.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kyoshi saw the Fire Lord leave, flanked by guards. Something was wrong.

“Suzue’s been arrested,” she said.

* * *

Kyoshi had to give credit to the Fire Nation guards. They were brave and stood their ground, even as she swept them all away from the door of the throne room with a single massive gust of air.

She burst in, Tashi right behind her.

“How dare you!” she demanded. “You didn’t even wait for me to tell you what happened!”

“How dare you plot against me with my wife!”

“Are you mad? We’re not plotting against you!”

“You and this airbender and she were all laughing at me throughout the purification ceremony! You’re all in this together! You took advantage of Suzue! You and she took her with you up the mountain today to plot my downfall!”

“You _are_ mad!” Kyoshi shouted. “Shut your mouth and listen!”

The Fire Lord jumped to his feet and threw a wall of flame at Kyoshi, who parted the wall with a gesture of her hand. She stepped through it calmly. Her eyes glowed and she entered the Avatar state.

With one hand, she gestured down toward the floor, and the Fire Lord’s feet and ankles were bound inside mounds of stone. With the other, she pushed forward, and air knocked him backward onto the seat of the throne.

“Now you will listen,” she said, in a voice made of many voices. It echoed throughout the throne room, and Hiro cowered.

“There was no time before the ceremony to tell you what we discussed with the Fire Lady,” Tashi said, quietly. “She was ready to give all her authority back to you, to do as you wish. She feared that you would abandon her, and now we see that she was right to do so. But we showed her the path she could take if she were to give up power, and she has accepted our friendship and love.”

“You mistook innocent laughter between three friends as signs of a plot,” Kyoshi said, in the Avatar’s powerful, frightening tone. “Even so, we do have the power to overthrow you.”

“But we choose not to,” Tashi continued. “Compassion is the solution to the division between you and your wife, and between you and your nobles, and between you and the world.”

“You have been a fool to mistrust her. You should have valued her more. Had you known the value of your own wife, you might have befriended her, and she could have been your most powerful ally.” Kyoshi thundered.

“But, because we have shown her compassion, she was willing to offer it to you. She may still. Let her go. She can come away from the Fire Nation with us, and you can do as you please,” Tashi said.

Kyoshi let the light fade from her eyes. She saw the Fire Lord cringing in his own throne, and felt pity for the pathetic, terrified man.

“I was ready to stand with you to help bring about these changes to the Fire Nation. You may still make them, but the Lady Suzue will be coming with us. You have forfeited the privilege of her assistance. What laws you set now are your own responsibility, and their success or failure lies with you alone.”

“Avatar…” Fire Lord Hiro began, but his voice failed him.

“Consider, Fire Lord,” Tashi interjected, “how it might appear to the other bending nations if you let your wife travel as your ambassador.”

A light of hope entered his face, as he realized the wisdom behind Tashi’s suggestion. A leader who trusted his wife abroad could demonstrate unity to the other nations, and unity suggested strength.

“We will hold a memorial for the passing of our spiritual leader, Monk Sonam, when we return to the Eastern Air Temple,” Tashi continued. “Set her free, and after the wedding tomorrow, we will arrange to have her accompany us.”

“It will be done as you say,” the Fire Lord said.


	11. Softness

With a feeling of deep gratitude, Kyoshi lay down in the bed in her suite. Out her window was a clear, dark blue sky, filled with stars. The dinner was over, the stage set for tomorrow’s wedding, and she knew that the struggle between the Fire Lord and his wife was done, hopefully for the best.

Tashi and she had gone with guards to the cell where they had put her, and saw personally to her release. Suzue had wept when Tashi explained that she was free to leave with them tomorrow, after the wedding, with the full honor of ambassador of the Fire Nation to the Air Nomads. They took her in their arms and she held them both, putting a kiss on Kyoshi’s cheek, thanking her for her freedom.

They stayed together in Suzue’s rooms in the private quarters for the rest of the evening, drinking a special vintage from the Fire Nation vineyards, planning the future. They’d travel together to the Air Temple for the memorial, and then they would bring Kyoshi home, after many weeks of being away. Kyoshi was eager to be back in her own place.

And they kept talking. Tashi and Kyoshi told her about the places they’d been and the places they could take her, and she was like a child, the way her eyes shone, the open look on her face. More than once Kyoshi wished she could have kissed her again, but she was sitting close to Tashi, holding her hand, leaning on her, and Kyoshi recognized the bond forming between them.

Now, looking at the stars, she had a chance to sort out her feelings. Avatar Yang Chen had said that Tashi had everything she needed within herself, and could love freely and without expectation. That was, honestly, what she herself could do. Everything Kyoshi needed she had, in her home village, but also in the friends she had, far and near. She didn’t see Tashi taking anything away from her. She didn’t feel jealous in the slightest.

Indeed, she was delighted that Suzue was learning to love and be loved, and who better to show her than Tashi, wise, pure and beautiful?

Without regret, she bid them goodnight. Kyoshi wanted rest more than anything.

She drifted off to sleep happily, thinking of the green pines of her home valley.

 

* * *

The sound of a gentle knock woke her. She rose, confused. It was still dark, though now a half moon was rising, flooding her room with cool light.

She went to the door. “Who’s there?” she called.

“Me.” It was Suzue’s voice.

Kyoshi opened the door and let her in. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I’m sorry to wake you.”

“Uh.. I…” she shook her head, trying to clear the sleep away. “What are you doing here? It’s so late.”

“I needed to see you again…” Suzue said, almost shyly, “because I owe you.”

“Owe me?”

“In the baths. You. You let me… finish. And you were so gentle, at the end. But you. You didn’t. Finish. I owe it to you.”

Kyoshi was thunderstruck. Suzue wanted her still.

“What about Tashi? I thought you and she…”

“She told me to go to you. That…” she lowered her eyes, smiling, “ that there was time for all of us.”

Kyoshi breathed deep, her own smile starting, and tilted her head back, eyes closed. “Tashi, wise, pure and beautiful.”

“She is,” Suzue agreed. “A mirror image of you.”

Kyoshi took her hand and led her to the bed by the window. Suzue was in a silk robe, and Kyoshi in her cotton shift. She looked down into those piercing eyes, and now the calculating look was gone, replaced with curiosity and desire. The need to kiss her swept through her again, and now there was no reason at all not to fill that need. She bent, and put her lips to Suzue’s, softly as the silk on her shoulders. Her hands she put on those shoulders, gently, holding her near.

Suzue put her own hands on Kyoshi’s waist, and Kyoshi hardly realized how hungry she’d been for that touch until it happened. Her knees went weak, and she turned to sit on the bed. Suzue followed, and took the opportunity to open her robe and climbed up to straddle her, sitting on Kyoshi’s lap.

Suzue’s boldness was Kyoshi’s undoing. Kyoshi wrapped her arms around her, and drew her into a long, deep kiss, her tongue diving in and tasting Suzue’s lips. She wanted every part of her. She lay back, breathless, and let Suzue pull the shift up and over her head, and they both took a moment to admire each other in the moonlight. Suzue was a beautiful woman to just look at. Kyoshi herself was statuesque, lean and strong, muscular but also soft.

Her hair was still piled up on her head. She lifted her arms, gracefully, and pulled a hairpin from the dark mass, and the hair spilled down her body, delightfully curled. She bent down and kissed Kyoshi again, her own tongue doing the exploring. Kyoshi’s breath was rapid and her heart was pounding, and Suzue put her lips in a path down her throat, stopping to feel the pulse with her tongue.

Kyoshi’s hands were lost, trailing up and down Suzue’s back and legs, not wanting to grip too hard, but wanting to feel her skin pressed against her own. Suzue’s hair was soft and so wonderfully long, and it brushed against her, leaving a tickling sensation everywhere it touched.

Suzue took an erect nipple into her mouth, and Kyoshi arched her back. She couldn’t bear much more. She was so ready, so eager now. It had been so long.

Kyoshi’s legs were still bent over the edge of the bed, so she pulled herself up and lay down the long way, head upon a pillow. Moonlight streamed onto her face. She pulled Suzue up and alongside her, and had her put her head on her shoulder.

She took Suzue’s hand, and guiding it gently, moved it along her abdomen and down. Suzue understood, and touched her softly all along the length of her torso, feeling the breath rise and fall.

At last she brought it down, down to between Kyoshi’s thighs, and fingers dipped into the hot wet folds. Kyoshi could not hold back a moan, and Suzue kept on, exploring, stroking in slow, delicate movements. Kyoshi trembled.

Suzue’s fingers found the swollen thimble of Kyoshi’s clitoris, and touched it gingerly, watching for Kyoshi’s reaction. It was as though she’d been hit with lightning, and she cried out as she tensed. Suzue backed off, going back to gentle stroking, and Kyoshi’s breath was ragged. She went further, pushing a single slim finger inside, and she felt a flood of Kyoshi’s essence upon it. She pulled back the slickness, and again touched the bundle of nerves, this time swirling around it, teasing.

Kyoshi tensed again, hard. She clutched Suzue’s back, and took her wrist, and showed Suzue what she wanted, a movement back and forth, back and forth. Suzue took the instruction and, two fingers along each side of the stiffened bud, pressed down and stroked her rhythmically. Kyoshi moved her hips in time, and was rapidly coming to a climax.

Her breathing was ragged, and she was nearing the edge, when suddenly Suzue stopped.

She was startled at the pause… she moved a bit… “What…. what?”

“Just returning the favor,” Suzue laughed. She started touching again, and Kyoshi relaxed, seeing the humor in it. She laughed herself, and then gasped as Suzue ran a finger over the tip of her clit, the most sensitive part of it.

Suzue kept on, now increasing the pace and pressure, and Kyoshi began to come, all her muscles tightening, the walls of her vagina spasming. She clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

Suzue went on, and Kyoshi held her tight until she could take no more, and pulled her hand away.

They lay back in the moonlight, the sweat that had started on her now cooling. Suzue curled into her side, and moved her hand gently, caressing her, hearing her breathing slow.

“I can’t stay the whole night,” Suzue said. “I’ll have to be up early for the wedding tomorrow.”

“It’s all right,” Kyoshi replied. “We have a whole world to explore together afterward.”

And when Kyoshi fell asleep not long after, Suzue looked at her, marveling at her fortune. That was true power, she realized. Kyoshi had submitted to her touch, willingly, and in softness she had made the most powerful person in the world cling to her.


	12. Cherry Blossoms Fall

The cherry blossoms were falling, a pink snowfall throughout the town surrounding the Fire Nation palace. There was a slight breeze, and the morning was cool; Kyoshi's mind was at peace.  
  
The wedding was held in the great plaza outside the palace's front doors, so that everyone could see, and the citizens of the Fire Nation were there in vast numbers. The invited dignitaries and guests were closest, and Kyoshi herself was seated near the front, watching the Sages present the bride to the prince, and she lifting her veil for him to see her.  
  
The ceremony was actually quite brief, and after the prince kissed her, the people cheered, and fireworks were lit, popping and crackling in the air. Music was struck up, and the festival in the town began in earnest, with great crowds dancing.  
  
When it was her turn, she came to offer her best wishes to the newlyweds, and leaned in close to them both. "Trust each other," she said, quietly and solemnly, but with a benevolent look, and the two looked at each other with slight surprise. It was unlike any advice any had given them so far. But of course, she was the Avatar, and they nodded agreement, and that was all she needed to say.  
  
The reception for the invited guests was an enormous feast, and Kyoshi had barely eaten in the past few days, so she indulged herself with a few extra sweets. She found a quiet corner, once again, and watched the activities bemusedly.  
  
Motomu and Fuyiko came and sat with her a while, observing with her and commenting on the lovely ceremony.  
  
"And soon you'll go," Motomu said. "I hope that you and the airbender will be happy, for as long as you can."  
  
"Lady Suzue will be coming with us," Kyoshi said, in a hushed voice. "Ambassador to the Air Nomads."  
  
Motomu was thoroughly surprised. "What? Why? How?"  
  
"You have a keen eye, Master. You knew something wasn't right, and we've resolved the problem. Suzue wants to see the world. There won't be anything in the Fire Lord's path now, except his nobles."  
  
"That _is_ news!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Be prepared for more surprises, Master," she grinned. "The Fire Lord has big plans."

* * *

  
They left that evening, quietly. Kyoshi had only her traveling clothes and her box of paints. Tashi and the air benders had their air bisons saddled and prepared. Suzue had to be talked out of a large chest of fine clothes, and down to a much smaller bag. She was nervous, but willing to learn.  
  
They traveled for a week, crossing the seas and then the Earth Kingdoms. Suzue saw wonders she'd never imagined. They camped, and at night the three shared a tent, talking, learning about each other, sleeping close by one another.  
  
The Eastern Air Temple was grand in a way utterly different from the Fire Nation palace, and Suzue was awed by the vast building, and all its quiet spaces.  
  
And then they held the memorial for Monk Sonam, and though there was a little sad quality to it, much of the time there was laughter, as they remembered his life and all the jokes and pranks he had pulled. Monk Sonam's wisdom, Tashi said, was in making every difficult task into a game, lightening the burden for everyone. He was truly compassionate, all the airbenders agreed. In his honor, they all pledged themselves to pursue peace through love a little more, and Suzue and Kyoshi took that oath with them.  
  
After a time there, Suzue said she would stay at the Eastern Air Temple while Tashi and Kyoshi went back to the Avatar's village. She was starting to learn meditation, and the serenity that was always in Tashi's look was settling into Suzue's as well.  
  
They arrived in the village as evening was coming on. The people were relieved to have their beloved Avatar back. Children squealed and piled on her. They took her hands and pulled her to her own home, asking a million questions. She laughed and tried to answer as many as she could. A second group surrounded Tashi, and gave her the same grilling… Tashi enjoyed the welcome. She delighted a few of the younger ones by launching them in the air and catching them with her air bending, landing them softly on the ground. Her bison was patient as little ones slid down his wide, fluffy tail.  
  
Parents graciously pulled their children away as they approached the building where Kyoshi called home. Time for more questions and stories tomorrow, they promised.

* * *

It was a simple home, a bed, a table with a few chairs, a mirror. There was a full bookshelf; Kyoshi's creature comforts.  
  
Kyoshi started a fire in the hearth, and cooked a little stew. They sipped tea in the dusk.  
  
The sunlight faded. They were, at last, alone together, sitting in front of the fire.  
  
"You said you begged Monk Sonam to let you come to the wedding. To see me? I hadn't seen you since we were young. Surely you weren't waiting for me that whole time."  
  
"Not waiting, not exactly. I had plenty to fill my time training in the other Air Temples. And I traveled too, like you. We probably crossed paths now and again."  
  
"Most likely. But you didn't forget me?"  
  
"One doesn't forget the Avatar. Especially when she's a tall, awkward girl, just like yourself."  
  
Kyoshi grinned. "I have big feet, too," she laughed, wiggling her toes in front of the fire.  
  
"So I'd always hoped there would be a reason to see you, somewhere, sometime. I just wanted to get to know you a little better. I always thought we'd be friends."  
  
"I forgot you," Kyoshi said, a little sadly. "I mean, until you reminded me."  
  
"You had a different path from me, and you had much more on your mind. Anyway, I knew Sonam was ready to leave this world, and I'll be assuming many more of his duties soon, so I asked for this chance."  
  
"I'm so grateful," Kyoshi said, and kissed her cheek.  
  
"I didn't expect to fall in love, of course," Tashi said, "but I suppose no one plans to."  
  
"I did, as soon as I saw you, and certainly when we went up the mountain. This time, anyway. I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you the first time, back at the Northern Temple, but you knocked me on my backside so many times I probably fell out again," she laughed.  
  
"I can still," Tashi said, coyly, and she turned, and slowly pushed Kyoshi down to the floor, advancing with her lips pressed to Kyoshi's. She lay next to Kyoshi, a bent knee across her thighs, and they kissed like this a good long while.  
  
"It's so easy to be with you," Kyoshi said again, "It's so easy to love you."  
  
Tashi shrugged off her outer layer, and Kyoshi let her fingers trail along her upper arms. It was a joy just to have her there, but touching her like this, with just fingertips, was like being in a dream.  
  
Tashi kissed her again and again, so tenderly, her lips mumbling silently against Kyoshi's mouth and cheeks and chin, her nose and forehead. Kyoshi reached up, put her hand behind Tashi's head. They looked into each other's eyes: Tashi's were the color of clouds just before a storm. "So easy," she whispered.  
  
They stood up, and each took the other's clothes in hand, pulling them off. Now Tashi lay back on Kyoshi's bed, vulnerable and exposed. She was delicate, as a flower on a slender stem. It would hardly do to be hungry with her, but Kyoshi wanted to taste everything, her lips, her skin, her breasts. And so she did, her mouth slowly going over Tashi's body, from her ears and jaw to her lips, down her throat and across her shoulder, down one arm and up the other.  
  
Tashi sighed contentedly, enjoying the feelings. Her hands floated on Kyoshi's shoulders.  
  
Kyoshi's hands slipped behind her back, and she bent down further, now tasting Tashi's breasts, using her tongue in a circle to bring the nipple to a peak. And she went down her stomach, kissing and tasting, circling her navel and the soft rise below, continuing to circle down and down.  
  
She could hear Tashi's slow, calm breath become deeper as she descended, and she saw the rise of her belly with each breath in the red light of the fire. It occurred to her that in this moment she was as happy as she had ever been, as at peace with the world as she'd ever felt. There was no worry, no struggle, no pain.  
  
Nuzzling into her, Kyoshi took a taste, remembering the tang of a woman, and the deep breath that Tashi drew was encouragement enough to continue. Applying as much pressure as she dared, she caressed the flesh with her tongue, occasionally pausing to curl it around the clit and make Tashi writhe.  
  
Kyoshi eased back, now and again, to let her recover, but as she was nearing her limit Tashi's scrabbling hands entered her hair and clutched it, pulling her in, wanting her to bring her to the summit. And Kyoshi obliged, lapping with the flat of her tongue, up and up and up and up, and then once again curling her tongue around the bud, and sucking ever so lightly but constantly, until Tashi could stand no more, and rose up, arching, tightening in every limb, and crying out. A few more seconds, as her lover  pulled on her hair, and then she let her go.  
  
Kyoshi moved up, and lay next to her, as Tashi had in front of the fire, one knee across her thighs, touching her face, watching her as she her breath slowed, her eyes closed. This was as close to anyone as she had ever been, both in body and spirit.

* * *

  
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Tashi asked, as she prepared to go.  
  
"I will. I'm home. I have everything I need right here," she gestured toward her heart, "and you too."  
  
"I won't be away too long, I promise."  
  
"I hope not. Or maybe I'll come to see you. But send my love to Suzue. Take care of her."  
  
"You know I will."  
  
They were silent a moment, not quite knowing how to say goodbye.  
  
Tashi said,  
  
     "cherry blossoms fall  
     but you should remember that  
     they return each year."  
  
Pulling the golden hairpin from her cloak, Kyoshi gave it to Tashi. "You deserve this now."  
  
"I'll let Suzue use it. She has the hair for it," Tashi laughed.  
  
Like magnets, they suddenly pulled together, in a tight embrace, and Kyoshi let her tears run down. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Kyoshi. See you soon." And with a kiss, she pulled away, climbed into the air bison's saddle, and said, "Yip yip!"  
  
She rose into the sky, and Kyoshi watched until she couldn't see her any more.  
  
Children were standing around her now, looking at the sky. She noticed them then. She went down the hill and into the village, and found the hoop from an old barrel, and a few long sticks.  
  
"Come on," she said to the children, putting the hoop on the stick, and twirling it, "Let me show you a game I learned in the Fire Nation!"


End file.
